I can’t get enough of Halloween DIYs this year! I saw this one on Tik Tok and had to try it. This one is similar to the Terracotta Pumpkins I did, but those are made with electric lights. This tutorial is going to be an inexpensive way to make diy jack-o-lantern candle holders.
I saw this set from Pottery Barn and loved it. There are other good dupes available, but I like to DIY when I can. The last time I was at the thrift store, I picked up these two jack-o-lantern candy buckets.
Originally, I had planned to use them as my kid’s candy buckets for Halloween, but then just had to make them.
Materials Needed For DIY Jack-O-Lantern Candle Holders
Here are the supplies needed for these DIY Jack-O-Lantern Candle Holders:
- Plastic Jack-O-lantern Candy Buckets
- Box Cutter/Exacto Knife
- Black Spray Paint
- Gold Spray Paint
- Painters Tape
- Candles/Battery Powered Candles
Step 1-Spray Paint The Inside Gold
First, spray the inside of the jack-o-lantern candy bucket gold. This is king of tricky.
I found the best technique was to spray in short bursts with one hand while the other had the bucket on its side and rolled it from side to side to get to areas that were not painted yet.
Let dry upside down so that any pools or drips can run to the top and down on to the cardboard. Make sure its fully dry before moving onto the next step. If you get paint on the outside, don’t worry we will take care of that in the next step.
Step 2-Paint The Outside Black
Once the inside of the jack-o-lantern candy buckets are all dry, we can move onto painting the outside. I used the same black spray paint I used when I spray painted my wood chairs. Flat sheen could work, but all I had was satin and I like the sheen it gave.
Turn the pumpkins back upside down and now spray the outside of the buckets black. Remember the key to a good spray painting job is several light coats and to keep the paint moving. If it sprays too long in one spot the paint can have drips or pool in one area. You don’t want that.
Step 3-Cut Out The Jack-O-Lantern Face
The next step is to find the jack-o-lantern face on the bucket and carefully cut it out. This is how we will get a peak at that beautiful gold color on the inside and the candle will show though.
By cutting out the face last, we were able to avoid having to tape any holes or touch up any spray paint. Still somehow I always find I get spray paint on my hands. Learn how to remove spray paint from hands.
Step 4-Place Your Candle In The Jack-O-Lantern Holder
You can see my DIY Terracotta Pumpkins in the background there and they are holding up great! Still so obsessed!
You DID IT! There may be slight places you need to touch up after cutting out the faces. I spray some paint in the lid and use a craft brush to get in those spaces.
Now wait until dark and put your battery powered or real candle in your jack-o-lantern candle holders and be the envy of all the neighborhood with your cute halloween decor that cost less than $15.
Cost Breakdown
The cost of this DIY was very low. I thrifted the pumpkin candy buckets for less than a $1 each. I had the spray paint, candles and the box cutter at home, so it literally cost me about $2 to make this.
However, if you had to buy the spray paint and the candles along with the pumpkin candy buckets, here is about what it would cost for this DIY:
Pumpkins-$2
Black Spray Paint-$7
Gold Spray Paint-$8
Battery Powered Candles from Amazon-$8 (they come in a pack of 12)
For a total of $25 and will still have paint and other candle votives to use on other projects.
Other Halloween Posts:
Hanging Ghost Garland
DIY Terracotta Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins
20 Halloween Archway Ideas
DIY Pumpkin Pillows
Other Spray Paint Posts:
How To Get Spray Paint Off Hands
Spray Paint Wood Furniture
Spray Paint Door Knobs
Final Thoughts
I’m pretty happy with how this project turned out. It is so cute and budget friendly. I know I said to cut the face out last so there were no touchups, but I think you should do that first. It was a bit of a pain and I did still have to do touchups. Either way, its super cute and cheap to do for Halloween!
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